us. and i wanted to congratulate you on your national press award. this is the third time you won it. congratulations. >> i'm alina cho. i'll be back. you know, dana bash is the -- she's good on capitol hill. good morning and merry

christmas. stories we're watching in the newsroom on this christmas day. pope benedict xvi tells people not to up hope even in the world's most troubled reasons. his appeal for peace. and it's not the grinch stealing christmas cheer. it's the weather. blizzard warnings may turn your white christmas into a travel nightmare. and tornados threaten the south. your forecast is coming up. and we're seven days away from going off the fiscal cliff and with washington in a political gridlock we're getting closer and closer. the question, how will it affect you and your paycheck? the images, the words, the names, highlights and low lights of 2012. "newsroom" starts now. good morning to you. i'm carol costello wishing you and yours a merry christmas and we begin with pope benedict xvi using his an i'll christmas message to speak about the hope for peace even in the most

difficult times and situations. >> translator: in this world there's a good soil which god has prepared -- >> just hours ago the 85-year-old pope spoke to a crowd in st. peter's square and millions of others watching around the world. he said even in syria, a nation embroiled in a nearly two-year long civil war peace is possible. >> translator: yes, peace for the people of syria. deeply wounded and divided by a conflict which does not spare even the defenseless. and reaps innocent victims. once again, i appeal for an end to the bloodshed. easier access for the relief of refugees and the displaced. and dialogue in the pursuit of a political solution to the conflict. >> the pope also spoke out against violence against christians in nigeria and mally. he wrapped up the address by

delivering christmas greetings in 65 different languages. in bethlehem, worshippers packed the church of the nativity for the midnight mass. this is the 1700-year-old church, by the way. and here's something you can mark as a first on christmas day. queen elizabeth's traditional recorded message will be broadcast in 3-d on british television next hour. you see her leaving church earlier this morning. in her address, the queen is expected to speak about the excitement and pride around hosting the 2012 olympics and celebrations surrounding her diamond jubilee. camping insides on christmas isn't the ideal way to spend your day but there's some nasty weather affecting many of us. look at this picture out of oklahoma city. at least 20 vehicles have been involved in an accident. freezing rain likely to blame for the pile-up according to the oklahoma highway patrol.

i-40 west, shut down for at least two miles. winter storm have been issued in arkansas, oklahoma and parts of the south could see tornados. if you are heading to the airport, you're urged to call ahead to make sure your flight has not been cancelled or delayed. bonnie schneider joins us now. hopefully, bonnie, most people, well, most people are where they expected to be this christmas day. >> i hope so. because if they're traveling across the south, dangerous weather is erupting rights now. we have a tornado watch that's in effect until 1:00 p.m. central time for much of southern louisiana. this includes baton rouge, hammond, new orleans,i nickel-sized hail across texas. look at the frequent lightning hammering the dallas area right now. you're seeing that sweeping across mississippi and into jackson and this is a very dangerous situation for travel, not just in terms of damages areas where we're having strong wind but we could likely see tornados.

the area in orange indicates a moderate risk for tornados. what does that mean? it means that we have a 30 to 60% escalated risk in this region right here for severe weather to break out for today. so the weather is likely to get worse as we go through the afternoon when we're talking about the threat of severe thunderstorms. if that's not enough, we're also watching for the snowstorm to develop and get worse throughout the day. you saw reports of the accident on i-40 west of oklahoma city. we had freezing rain in oklahoma throughout the night on christmas eve and then sleet on top of that. now we're going to see this all change over to snow. the snow will advance further to the east, especially christmas night. this means that as it intensifies and works its way eastward it's likely to bring blizzard conditions meaning blowing and drifting, heavy, heavy snow to paducah, kentucky and we'll see snow in places in the south that typically don't see it like little rock, arkansas. how 'unusual is that? snow falling on the ground might

be once every ten years but measurable snow which we're likely to see with this storm hadn't happened since 1913. even for oklahoma city, carol, only once a decade we on average see so much snow so this is unusual this time of year. please eyes caution. the snowstorm will impact millions of people and don't forget the tornado threat in louisiana today. >> all right. thank you, bonnie. first lady michelle obama is in the christmas spirit. the white house just released this picture of the first lady answering calls from children who called norad santa tracker control center to ask about old saint nick's big trip around the globe. mrs. obama watched the progress along with children nationwide last night. with the obama family home for the holidays in hawaii we couldn't help but wish everybody a hawaiian merry christmas h morning. ♪ here we know christmas is green and bright ♪ ♪ sunshines by day and all the stars at night ♪ >> you know what's next, don't you? i this movie. brianna is in hawaii right

now traveling with the obama family. so merry christmas, brianna. what are the obamas doing today, i wonder. >> to you as well, carol. there's nothing on the president's public schedule so we don't know exactly what they're doing but presumably they're doing what most -- many americans will be doing on this christmas. still very early, of course, here on a oahu. it's about 4:00 a.m. local time. they will be presumably, waking up in the home that they're renting about 45 minutes from where we are in this area. and celebrating. so you saw the first lady did it did get in the spirit talking to kids who were watching norad track santa. the president spending his christmas eve a little differently playing golf. not quite as festive as what the first lady was doing and, also, going to the beach with the first family. we do know that the white house chef, sam kass, is here, he'll

be cooking the meal for the first family and we're hoping to get details on what they'll be eating today. >> i'm not going to ask you about t about the fiscal cliff so i'll ask you a total nonsense cica liemplt question. is the first dog traveling with the obamas? >> the first dog is traveling with them. bo is here and he's really quite the hit, you know? he's a big part of christmas decorations at the white house. all of the christmas trees have a lot of bo flakes, as they're called. snowflakes with bo in the middle so he factors big into the holiday. holiday cookies shaped like bo at the christmas party so christmas isn't really complete without the white house dog. and he, also, i wanted to show you some video that we have just released yesterday by the white house. this is the first lady visiting the children's national center in washington, d.c., reading "twas the night before

christmas" and getting a little bit of help from bo. check it out. >> good afternoon. i'm the president and ceo of children's national. >> this is exactly what he does at home. he tries to beat malia and sacha to my lap. this is one of my favorite things to do during the holidays is coming to the children's hospital to see all of you. and i want to thank my escorts. gordon and a.j. you guys are awesome. >> he's a little big to be in the first lady's lap but don't tell that to bo. he doesn't think so. >> although her daughters are too, you could argue, but she's mom. you do that. >> yeah. he's adorable and, also, that's a really cute video clip. he tried to help. it was like he was trying to help turn the page at one point and i think that the kids there were pretty excited the first lady was there but honestly i think they were more excited that bo was there. >> i'm sure they were. thank you so much, brianna.

we appreciate it. the newtown tragedy has dominated the coverage over the last week and a half but the year will also be remembered for other may jeer news stories. here's a look back. >> touchdown. precision. thank you so much. >> and the crowd has got they ared here. >> we want freedom. we want to be free people. >> the italian cries ship capsized. >> nearly 23% unemployment. >> joseph coney. >> viral on social media sites. >> outrage through social media. >> i'm sandra fluk. >> the affordsable care act. >> this is a very massive play by facebook. >> the largest ipo in tech history. >> she's breastfeeding in the picture. >> one article has the entire country talking. >> the president says he believes that same-sex marriage should be legal.

>> we now know the name of the suspect blamed for the movie theatre shooting. >> shooting at temple in wisconsin. >> people tell cnn people have been shot in front of the empire state building. >> bath salts. >> jerry sandusky sentenced to a minimum of 30 years in prison. >> an iconic statue of the late football coach. paterno is gone. >> the british people are going gaga for the diamond jubilee. >> flying squirrel. >> fierce five. >> someone sold photographs of britain's prince harry naked during a strip bill yoord's game. >> one of the hottest novels around. >> what went wrong? why now? >> isaac is forcing some changes of the republican convention. >> what do you mean, shut up? >> thank you. >> christopher stevens and three

embassy staff are dead. >> we'll bring to justice whoever committed these murders. >> all of the effects of hurricane sandy already. >> sandy's carved a path of destruction across all along the ooirn seaboard. we can't fully secure the crane until the wind dies down. >> oh, my god. is there another story on this? gangnam style. >> honey boo boo. >> the shutting rolling down the streets of l.a. >> 1kw4r50i6r7b david petr gene >> syria has gone on for 20 -- >> these redline warnings talk? >> cnn projects barack obama will be re-elected president of the united states. >> terror at an elementary school in connecticut. >> 20 children dead. six adults are also dead. >> so our hearts are broken

today. for the parents and grandparents, sisters and brothers of these little children. may god bless the memory of the victims. and in the words of -- heal the broken-hearted and bind up their wounds. [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus presents the cold truth.

i have a cold, and i took nyquil, but i'm still "stubbed" up. [ male announcer ] truth is, nyquil doesn't unstuff your nose. what? [ male announcer ] it doesn't have a decongestant. no way. [ male announcer ] sorry. alka-seltzer plus fights your worst cold symptoms plus has a fast acting decongestant to relieve your stuffy nose. [ sighs ] thanks! [ male announcer ] you're welcome. that's the cold truth! [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus. ♪ oh what a relief it is! ♪ [ male announcer ] to learn more about the cold truth and save $1 visit alka-seltzer on facebook.

it is 15 minutes past the hour. our top stories. webster, new york, mourning two firefighters today after they were shot and killed while respond og a fire on christmas eve. mike chaparini has been named firefighter of the year and also a police lieutenant and his partner, tom welcome had joined the department about a year ago and two other volunteer firefighters were wounded in one of them called for help as you can hear in this chaotic 911 recording. the shooter, william spangler was convict of the killing his grandmother decades ago. he was found dead at the scene. nelson mandela spending

christmas day in the hospital. the 94-year-old former south african president has been battling a lung infection and also had gallstones removed. the president, said he looks better and the doctors are happy with his progress. in money news, instagram still feeling the sting from user outrage after the photo sharing app changed its terms of service. instagram has been hit with a class-action lawsuit filed in san francisco federal court. the lawsuit was filed on friday despite instagram saying it was modifying parts of the new policy and would not sell user's photos to advertisers. and look at these pictures. it would not be christmas without a surfing santa in sydney, australia. not every day do you see santa enjoying a white christmas on the beach with sand and without his sleigh. but after a night of delivering the presents he deserves it. christmas isn't christmas for one kansas teenager without lights and lots of them. he goes all out might be an understatement. michael with our affiliate kwch

shows us how the 13-year-old boy's passion agrees with each passing year. >> reporter: this is what cody hannah lives for. not presents. >> it started when i was 7. >> not the food. >> i just started liking lights. >> reporter: for cody, it's all about the lights. >> this is it. >> reporter: and each year, he has a goal. >> get bigger. more lights. way more lights. >> he has liked looirts ever since he was probably a baby. >> reporter: for cody, it wasn't that lodge ago. he's only 13. >> when he was about 7, he decided that he was going to start decorating his room. >> reporter: from a few lights in his room to this. what else can you say? >> yeah. it's cool! very cool! this is my new thing this year. >> reporter: this 13-year-old's

efforts go beyond a few extension cords. >> it runs through your fmt m radio. i'll have a sign out there that says which channel to turn to and you turn to that and you'll be able to listen to it. >> reporter: the light display has programmed music run by special software on a laptop cody saved up to buy. a show meant for all to enjoy. >> my neighbors came out and clapped for me at the end of the song so -- support from the neighbors helps. >> since he's 13 and he's already putting it to music i'm pretty sure he's a cleerk gris walled in the miking. >> it will only get bigger from here. >> reporter: he takes it to a whole new level. >> and that was michael with our affiliate kwch reporting. talk-back question? what's your favorite christmas memory? there has to be one that sticks out. it might no be as memorable as this.

>> oh, my god, thank you. >> oh, the memories. that clip went viral on youtube. you remember? "talk-back" is next.

now is your chance to talk back on one of the stories of the question for you. what is your favorite christmas memory? it has been an emotionally exhausting year. i won't review it because there are too many painful moments but, still, on the christmas day out of darkness, there's hope.

kindness, giving, compassion, jesus would say -- love. in newtown, connecticut, exhausted police officers received a rare gift. time off. police from nearby communities are working in newtown today to give the police the holiday with their families. and from around the nation and the world, tens of thousands of toys have poured into newtown. >> in this country, we take care of each other. and in this season of giving, it's inspiring to see so many people all across america taking the time to help those most in need. >> that's part of what mikes us such a compassionate nice and this year, i know many of you are extending that kindness to the families who are still picking up the pieces from hurricane sandy and extending your prayers to the people of newtown, connecticut. >> my five rid memory as a child wasn't the cowgirl out fit i got at age 4, although it was pretty darn awesome. my favorite memory culminated in this moment. that's many in front at age 6,

with my mom, brothers and sisters and, yes, mom is exhausted, which is understandable. we always went to midnight mass on christmas eve and looked for santa flying year head as we left. we set out milk and cookies when we got home and on christmas day the cookies were gone but the milk was still half full. those mornings were magic. and not because i got barbie'sless attractive sister, skipper. it's how it felt. so, please, share this morning. what's your favorite christmas memory. facebook.co facebook.co facebook.com/carol cnn. hey, mom. i'm carl. i'm still stationed in germany as i understand a shout out to all my family in trenton, new jersey. i miss y'all and love y'all. if you missed it, sorry. did high part. you should have watched it. bye-bye. price rewind. because your daughter really wants that pink castle thing.

and you really don't want to pay more than you have to. only citi price rewind automatically searches for the lowest price. and if it finds one, you get refunded the difference. just use your citi card and register your purchase online. have a super sparkly day! ok. [ male announcer ] now all you need is a magic carriage. citi price rewind. start saving at citi.com/pricerewind. omnipotent of opportunity. you know how to mix business... with business. and you...rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle. and go. you can even take a full-size or above. and still pay the mid-size price. i could get used to this. [ male announcer ] yes, you could business pro. yes, you could. go national. go like a pro.

yes, you could. we actully keep track of how many times this kid picked his nose? hair pulls, stink eyes, man we see eveything. oh, it's the old man. hold on, i gotta send something out. you can have two apps open at the same time? how'd you do that? it's the galaxy note 10.1 man, it just does it. how do you think they made it? magic. do more with the samsung galaxy note 10.1. available at best buy and st buy mobile stores.

freezing rain likely to blame for this massive pile-up in oklahoma city. a two-mile stretch of i-40 is finally opened after being shut down from the wreckage. winter storm have been issued and parts of the south could see tornados. meteorologist, bonnie schneider is here to tell us more. good morning. we're tracking severe weather across the south and if that's not enough. a big snowstorm emerging through the southern plains working its way to the midwest. look at what's happening now and we can talk about the winter threat. we're looking at the potential for blizzard conditions. blizzard warnings in place and this will get worse later on today into tonight and certainly for tomorrow as well.

we could see up to a foot of snow in paducah, kentucky. very unusual to see so much snow in areas of the south especially on christmas day. we're tracking the storm on wednesday at it advances to ohio likely to bring substantial snowfall for this region as well. and finally, tracking fog. if it's not enough that you have strong thunderstorms and the threat for tornados you're also looking at low visibility due to foggy conditions across much of the region. let's zoom in here. i want to show you atlanta. what we're looking at now is we have the fog that is just about a mile visibility. earlier this morning it was only a quarter of a mile. so visibility is improving a bits as we go through the day. that's important to note. the threat for severe storms in terms of tornado watches in louisiana and carol, that severe weather watch to tex continues. damaging winds and isolated tornadoes possibly breaking up this afternoon through areas into louisiana, mississippi and maybe so far east as georgia. >> wow! so be careful. thank you, bonnie.

about 30 minutes past the hour. time to look at yoops. in newtown, connecticut, the entire police force gets the day off working nonstop since the school shooting and officers from neighboring towns step in to give them a break, the volunteers donating their overtime pay to newtown and sandy wlooivg elementary school charities. hundreds of nato troops in afghanistan celebrated the holiday early singing festive songs and lighting candles last night during a church service and filling up with a special christmas dinner. and president obama spending christmas with his family in hawaii and he played a rounds of golf with friends. it will be a short vacation because the president is expected back in washington later this week, just before the fiscal cliff deadline. congress also home for the holidays and that means there's not a lot going on with the fiscal cliff negotiations. if no deal is reached in one week, the tax cuts enacted under president bush will expire and 1.2 trillion in spending cuts will automatically go into effect. if we do go over the fiscal

cliff, how will it affect you from your paycheck to your retirement accounts? we're going to give you all the tips you need to protect yourself. here to do that this morning is ry ryan mac, president of opt middle school management. >> kudos for being able to pronounce that honolulu merry christmas saying. >> i don't think i can do it again. ahah! let's start with your paycheck as it applies to the fiscal cliff. if we go off the fiscal live how will mooirn and everybody's paycheck be affected? the majority of the paycheck won't be afeektded until 2014 when people file for 2013 stackses. there are certain things that are impacted right away like the payroll tax cut. for individuals earning about $50,000 a year, they'll be having to pay about $85 less because of the payroll tax cut will be expiring so that will be, again, almost $90 a month that will mere live come into play but the majority of the individuals when 2014, when they

file their taxes they might be in for a surprise if we don't get to a deal quickly. >> what do people need to do to prepare themselves? >> well, essentially what we have to understand is that let congress deal with this fiscal cliff stuff. we have to worry about our fiscal houses. we can't control. we can vote. we can lobby but we can't control what they do in the long run. what we can control is our own fiscal house. you can't control what the deal does but you can control your gym membership that you've been paying for but you haven't gone to the gym. you can control the fact that you have coupon clippings that go unused in your sunday paper that you can still save hundreds of dollars on your cable bill or grocery bill every single month. so these are the things that we can start to do. have you negotiated you're interest rates on your credit cards? go to annual report.com to imyou're credit rating. these are things we can start to do right now that are in our control and we have to worry about our fiscal houses and less

about the fiscal cliff. >> and those are simple things to do but they take time. but it's good advice. okay, we hear a lot about the amt and how congress may put a patch on that. can you explain it in a simple way so everyone can understand? >> back in '69 they came out with something called "minimum tax." and in '82, the alternative minimum tax and this was a way to make sure the ch wealthy pay their fair share. this is how to level the playing field a little bit. this simply says now it's around $74,500. if -- it will go down to about $45,000 if the fiscal cliff goes off and nothing is done to adjust it. individuals now getting $45,000 back in '82 when first enarngted which is a lot different than $45,000 today. so if individuals earning $45,000 today might be impacted by additional taxes by this amt if something's not done.

and, again, this is just a way to try to -- the problem with the amt is it wasn't adjusted for inflation so as time went on and prices have gone up and people have made more money and inflation has gone into place, things have not adjusted for the what the amt is now currently so this is going to be a big piece and those in the finance world are looking at making sure that this thing doesn't come into play. come 2014, people will have a big surprise if they file their taxes and this amt is not adjusted. >> ryan, look into the future which is ten days. do you think a deal will be done? >> what we're going to have, we're going to have a short-term deal. bottom line is if these spending cuts are way too extensive. the medicare cuts, way too extensive to put together in ten days. they haven't done enough to get that far. we're probably going to get an extension on unemployment insurance. probably going to get reduction in terms of tax rates for those under $250,000 a year. if december 31st comes and nothing happens there's still a little bit of wiggle room and a

couple weeks after that for them to come into play. i think a short-term patch will be made in order to make sure they can work out a long-term deal. let's heap and pray they're able to do that. but in the meanwhile let's work on what we can do at home. >> good advice. ryan, thank you so much. ryan will vine us all week long. peel be back tomorrow with how to protect your portfolio and what you should do to prepare. the good, the bad and the bizarre when it comes to decorating christmas trees. some people take it to extremes. we'll show you. so, this board gives me rates for progressive direct and other car insurance companies? yes. but you're progressive, and they're them. yes. but they're here. yes. are you...? there? yes. no. are you them? i'm me.

but those rates are for... them. so them are here. yes! you want to run through it again? no, i'm good. you got it? yes. rates for us and them -- now that's progressive. call or click today.

a homeless man is demanding an apology and a face-to-face meeting with singer justin timberlake. apparently a video produced by timberlake's friend for a wedding celebration mocked the man only identified to us as eddie. that man is now represented by lawyer gloria allred and he's asking for justin timberlake to come visit him on skid row. for his part, timberlake has apologized for the quote, silly,

unsavory video that a knuckle head friend made. and actor jack klugman has died. eye probably remember him from "the odd couple" and "kwiequinc" we look back at the life of jeek klugman. >> for millions of television viewers, jerk klugman will always be sports writer oscar madison. the cigar-smoking, beer-guzzling slob that played opposite tony randell in the odd couple. >> let get us together. >> surprisingly "the odd couple" wasn't his most successful series. at least not at first. starting in the 1970s it ran for five yourself on abc. and never wrap higher than 36th in the ratings. but reruns on local stations and on nick at night turned the sitcom into a consult classic making it far more popular than his other tv series, "quincy."

klugman was the medical examiner for seven seasons. the show premiered in 1976 as part of nbc's mystery movie. it quickly became a weekly series. when it ended, klugman made brief appearances but stayed mainly on his reench, raising horses. he also continuesed to speak cigarettes and lost a vocal cord to cancer. >> when it happened, of course, i hid from it because i was sure it would get better and i didn't want to people to know i couldn't talk because then i wouldn't get a job. >> how you feeling? >> one of his most memorable film roles was opposite the late jack lemon. in "days of wine and roses." >> which is the one that gives you the hives? alcoholism is a illness. pretty hard to diagnose an illness until you got it.

>> he joined another distinguished cast of "12 angry men." >> funny, i never thought of it before. >> klugman grew up in south field. he married twice and had two sons. he earned two emmy awards for his role on "the odd couple." it was klugman's long-time friend and co-star, tony randell who halled him through his throat cancer treatment and persuaded him to resume his acting in the 1990s. with just one vocal cord doing the work of two, klugman returned for a stage version and a tv version of "the odd couple." >> let me hear you say police. >> give me a that. >> they continuesed to reprise mayor roles, klugman admitted they were probably too old for the parts. but he added, who knows them better than us? i am oscar madison. when randall died in 2004, klugman says said this to cnns

larry king. >> it's amazing. you knee he's going to die. eye know it but you can't prepare for that finality. i don't care if he's 110 and they will tell you he's gone. it knocks me out. i just can't accept the finality of it. a world without tony randall is a world i can't recognize. >> jerk klugman died at his home in neithorth ridge, california,h his wife, peggy by his side. we're all having such a great year in the gulf,

we've decided to put aside our rivalry. 'cause all our states are great. and now is when the gulf gets even better. the beaches and waters couldn't be more beautiful. take a boat ride or just lay in the sun. enjoy the wildlife and natural beauty. and don't forget our amazing seafood. so come to the gulf, you'll have a great time. especially in alabama. you mean mississippi. that's florida. say louisiana or there's no dessert. brought to you by bp and all of us who call the gulf home. welcome to chevy's year-end event. so, the 5.3-liter v8 silverado can tow up to 9,600 pounds? 315 horsepower. what's that in reindeer-power? [ laughs ] [ pencil scratches ] [ male announcer ] chevy's giving more. get the best offer of the year -- 0% apr financing for 60 months plus $1,000 holiday bonus cash. plus trade up for an additional $1,000 trade-in allowance.

hurry. bonus cash ends january 2nd. anyone have occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating? yeah. one phillips' colon health probiotic cap each day helps defend against these digestive issues with three strains of good bacteria. approved! [ female announcer ] live the regular life. phillips'.

43 minutes past the hour. our top stories, we're one week away from the automatic spending cuts and tax hikes if congress and the white house cannot reach a deal on the fiscal cliff. lawmakers and the president left washington for christmas break and are expected back in town in washington before the end of the week. call it terrible timing, netflix is apologizing for its christmas eve outage. the popular streaming service sent out a tweet last night saying that engineers were working to fix the problem. according to the "wall street journal", netflix blames the outage on technical problems at amazon.com which delivers internet service for many websites. russia's biggest christmas tree on display in the kremlin's

cathedral square in moscow. they decorated the tree with a patriotic theme symbolizing the russian flag. many russians are eastern orthodox christians and celebrate christmas on jeanne 7 january 7th. and nothing says christmas like a tree. jeanne moos explain. >> reporter: maybe if this homeowner had measured better his christmas tree wouldn't have burst through the roof. >> that's crazy. >> reporter: what's crazy is how crazy everyone is about this christmas tree stunt that really doesn't stump anyone for more than a few seconds. >> we bought a 14 foot tree and i cut the top, six either the of it off. >> and put it on to a plywood platform on the roof and artfully, arranged shingles around it. it's funny your house is sort of proof that the price of trees has gone through the roof. >> [ laughter ] reporter sooirlt architect, patri patrick kruger has always been a fan of the movie "christmas

vacation" where the main character is obsessed with a perfect tree. >> there it is. >> that thing wouldn't fit in our yard, dad. >> it's not going in our yoord. it's going no our living room. >> reporter: that's kind of what patrick did. his license plate even pays only imagine to the christmas-fixated griswold. but they had a problem you're average tree doesn't. it blew off. plywood platform it's on had to be bolted down. true, this is not a new concept. in england and lincolnwood, ilg now, there have been grander versions of the same visual jokes with the tree cut in three. yours has a charlie brown aspect to it. what patrick needs and has is a kinky christmas tree as well as a nice, plump, regular one with a star that grazes the ceiling,

rather than pierces it. jeanne moos, cnn, new york. >> i like that tree. here's a new holiday memory for you. for better or worse one of 2012's guilty pleasures made its way to christmas. ♪ >> you're not seeing things. hundreds of people in shanghai dressed at santa and danced the night agangnam style as part of the christmas eve celebrations. gangnam style, as a chris carol? that's a stretch. a new poll ranked america's top christmas songs. "rudolph the red nosed reindeer" was five. three "little drummer boy" number two "white christmas" and the number one christmas song

is -- [ nyquil bottle ] hey tylenol, you know we're kinda like twins. [ tylenol bottle ] we are?

yeah we both relieve coughs, sneezing, aches, fevers. and i relieve nasal congestion. overachiever. [ female announcer ] tylenol® cold multi-symptom nighttime relieves nasal congestion. nyquil® cold and flu doesn't.

before the break, we told you about a new a new poll that america's top christmas songs. what is the number one? "rudolph the red nosed reindeer" was five. number four "the christmas song." number three "little drummer boy." number two "white christmas" and the number one christmas song?

♪ silent night holy night ♪ all is calm all is bright >> 50 minutes past the hour time for sports now. the indianapolis colts' feel good season is now even better with the return of their head coach chuck pagano. last month doctors announced his leukemia was in remission and yesterday he returned to his coaching duties. if all goes well this week pagano will be on the sidelines sunday for the colts' regular season finale against houston. at a news conference pagano thanked his wife of 23 years. tina pagano stayed right by his side throughout his hospital

stay. >> i want to thank you. she's a soldier, a warrior, my soul mate. >> pagano also thanked his doctor, the community, and of course his team. many of the colts shaved their heads last month to honor him. a couple colts cheerleaders shaved their heads as well for cancer research funding. pagano's comeback may be the most uplifting story from the sports world for 2012. we'll take a look at ten other stories that grabbed headlines some beyond the sports pages. >> today is a new day at augusta national. >> augusta national, perhaps the most prestigious golf club in america and home of the masters had excluded women from its membership roles since its opening in 1932. but that changed in august with

a highly show cased admission. a former secretary of state, condoleezza rice, and darla moore, south carolina businesswoman. >> i haven't thought yet about where i'll play but i have thought a lot about where i've been. >> when quarterback peyton manning and the indianapolis colts decided to part ways after 14 seasons the coverage of where manning would land was intense. broncos fans learned he would play in denver and must have felt like they won the lottery which made the trade of tim tebow to the new york jets easier to accept. >> golf's newest stars took center stage in 2012. bubba watson introduced himself by winning the masters. it was a humble demeanor and viral video that quickly endeared him to millions. meanwhile, a 23-year-old from northern ireland, rory mcelroy, ended the year as the world's top ranked player. let the comparisons to tiger

woods begin. ever since he appeared on the cover of "sports illustrated" as a 17-year-old it wasn't a question of if but when lebron james would achieve true greatness. that came this year when he soared to his first championship with the miami heat, was voted the nba's mvp, and won olympic gold with team usa. 2012 also had its share of controversy starting with the nfl's battle over money with its referees. the league tried to use replacements from college and high school but after a blown gameeciding call on national tv the criticism became untenable and the two sides came to an agreement two days later. the downfall of lance armstrong made headlines across the world. a hero's miracle after surviving cancer and winning cycling's most prestigious event a record seven times. that script changed when the u.s. anti-doping agency released a report that accused him of

leading the big team doping scheme in the history of sports. armstrong, stripped of his tour de france titles and resigned from his cancer foundation. >> two words. jeremy lin. >> lin-sanity. >> can you believe this is happening? >> no. >> at the start of the year jeremy lin was a harvard grad trying to make it in the nba but over the course of ten days in february the asian american became a global sensation as he led the new york knicks on a seven-game win streak and single handedly reinvigorated a franchise that had fallen on tough times. >> four hours away from the big opening ceremony. >> you can really feel the buzz in london. >> for two weeks in summer the london olympics took center stage with barrier breaking performances. michael phelps who became the most decorated olympian of all time, american gabby douglas the first black woman to win the

gymnastics individual all-around title. south africa's oscar pistorius the first double amputee to compete in the olympics and the female athletes from saudi arabia and qatar who were allowed to be competing in the olympics for the first time. the new orleans saints made news for the wrong reasons after being found guilty by the nfl for instituting a bounty program that allegedly awarded players with cash for injuring opponents. the head coach sean payton was suspended for the season and the suspensions against players were eventually vacated but the damage to the season was already done. >> jerry sandusky is charged with molesting eight boys. >> where were the authorities? >> this is not a case about football. >> the biggest story of the year occurred at penn state which was consumed in a child abuse scandal. the year started with the death of coaching icon joe paterno. five months later former assistant coach jerry sandusky

was found guilty of child sexual abuse and sentenced to at least 30 years in prison while the ncaa hit the football program with unprecedented penalties. talk back question this morning, what is your favorite christmas memory? your response is next.it 's that. time for citi price rewind. because your daughter really wants that pink castle thing. and you really don't want to pay more than you have to. only citi price rewind automatically searches for the lowest price. and if it finds one, you get refunded the difference. just use your citi card and register your purchase online. have a super sparkly day! ok. [ male announcer ] now all you need is a magic carriage. citi price rewind. start saving at citi.com/pricerewind. ♪ ♪

[ male announcer ] everyone deserves the gift of all day pain relief. this season, discover aleve. all day pain relief with just two pills. this season, discover aleve. we actully keep track of how many times this kid picked his nose? hair pulls, stink eyes, man we see eveything. oh, it's the old man. hold on, i gotta send something out. you can have two apps open at the same time? how'd you do that? it's the galaxy note 10.1 man, it just does it. how do you think they made it? magic. do more with the samsung galaxy note 10.1. available at best buy and st buy mobile stores.

a talk back question for you today, what's your favorite christmas memory? this one from miles. he said, i asked my mom how i can get my christmas list to santa and she told me to let it blow in the wind and god will make sure it gets to him. i'm wondering who picked up my christmas list. i also stayed up one night wait forgue him and fell asleep in the living room. my mom was slick. she brought my presents out then. this from debby. i was about 10 years old when i was given a little microscope. i was so in awe this wonderful gift that i sat behind the tree and just held it. please keep the comments coming.

facebook.com/carol cnn or tweet me at carol cnn. the next hour of "cnn newsroom" starts right now. happening now in the newsroom on this christmas day pope benedict tells people not to give up hope even in some of the world's most troubled regions. the weather could ruin christmas for many americans. we'll tell you about winter storms, fog, and tornadoes e expected across the country. a lot of people heading to the theater to catch a movie but many of the latest hollywood offerings are not very family friendly. and breakthroughs in 2012. we look at the major advances in science and technology. "newsroom" starts now. good morning. thank you so much for being with us. i'm carol costello wishing you and yours a very merry christmas. we begin this hour with pope benedict using his annual christmas message to speak about the hope for peace even in the

most difficult times and situations. just hours ago the 85-year-old pope spoke before a crowd in st. peter's square and to millions of others watching around the world he says even in syria, a nation embroiled in a nearly two-year long civil war, peace is possible. >> translator: may peace bring for the people of syria, deeply wounded and divided by a conflict which does not spare even the defenseless and reaps innocent victims. once again, i appeal for an end to the bloodshed. easier access for the relief of refugees and the displaced and dialogue in the pursuit of a political solution to the conflict. >> the pope also spoke out against violence against christians in nigeria and wrapped up his address by delivering christmas greetings in 65 languages. in bethlehem people packed the church of the nativity for

midnight mass. the palestinian president abbas was among those in the crowd at the 1700-year-old church. queen elizabeth is reflecting on big accomplishments this year in her taped christmas message being broadcast on british tv right now. you see her leaving the church earlier this morning. the queen speaking about the excitement surrounding the london olympics and her diamond jubilee. >> this past year has been one of great celebration for many. the enthusiasm which greeted the diamond jubilee was of course especially memorable for me and my family. it was humbling that so many chose to mark the anniversary of a duty which passed to me 60 years ago. people of all ages took the trouble to take part in various ways and in many nations. but perhaps most striking of all was to witness the strength of fellowship and friendship among those who had gathered together on these occasions.

>> this marked the first time the queen's message was broadcast on television in 3-d. it's not the best weather for christmas or for traveling. snow, blizzards, fog, tornadoes all in the forecast. earlier this morning a two-mile stretch of i-40 shut down in oklahoma city after freezing rain caused a massive car pileup. that stretch of interstate has now reopened. blizzard warnings have been issued in some parts of the united states while parts of the south could see tornadoes. meteorologist bonnie schneider is here to tell us more. good morning. >> good morning, carol. we have this just in. a tornado warning that's now popped up. i want to take a look now and show you where it's located. let's zoom in right here to crocket in texas. we're seeing this tornado warning for houston county in southeast texas. it goes for another 30 minutes. it is just the beginning of a day we anticipate to see lots of severe weather in terms of a tornado threat throughout the southeast. that is why a tornado watch has been issued for louisiana including baton rouge,

thibodeau, and new orleans. the tornado watch goes into effect until 1:00 p.m. central time. we are likely to see it extended and expanded as the day goes on. what a christmas day to see so much in the way of thunderstorms and frequent lightning strikes. you see them fire up across texas, louisiana, mississippi, jackson getting hammered right now by severe weather. we talked about tornadoes. today is a big day where we may see tornadoes break out across parts of louisiana, a moderate risk in effect meaning a 30 to 60% chance of a -- within a 25-mile radius of the orange area here. less of a risk into atlanta. still we may see severe weather here. we certainly saw the fog earlier today. that will likely continue throughout much of the morning hours. behind the system it doesn't look like much. setting up for a big storm system to emerge in terms of winter weather. you saw accidents along here, i-40 west of oklahoma city. freezing rain all night long christmas eve. now sleet and then snow. as the storm intensifies and it will we're looking at an

expansive system that will bring blizzard conditions to areas into the heartland. this means paducah, kentucky, carbondale, illinois, and cape girardeau, missouri. you'll see snow in memphis, tennessee but the heaviest snow right here in this region and also blizzard conditions starting even as late as tonight and into tomorrow meaning blowing and drifting snow. want to show you a new alert that just came in. an ice storm warning in effect for tonight into tomorrow. this is for the mountains of west virginia. so we're looking at accumulating ice and strong winds. power outages are likely, carol, when you have the ice covering those trees and power lines and this is really the beginning of a setup of a nasty day today and another one tomorrow. timing unfortunately on christmas. >> yes. i know. but everyone's been warned and hopefully everyone is already where they're going and they'll be fine. bonnie schneider, thanks so much. the first lady michelle obama is certainly in the christmas spirit. the white house just released this picture of the first lady answering phone calls from children who called in to norad

santa tracker control center to ask about st. nick's big trip around the globe. mrs. obama watched santa's progress along with children nationwide last night. with the obama family home for the holidays in hawaii we couldn't help but wish everyone a hawaiian merry christmas this morning. [ speaking in other language ] ♪ christmas will be green and bright the sun to shine by day and all the stars at night ♪ ♪ hawaii's way to say merry christmas to you ♪ >>. [ speaking in other language ] as you know it is still very early here in hawaii. 5:00 a.m. local time. hence why it is dark behind me. so christmas really not in full swing yet here on oahu. according to the president's public schedule he has no events. that said, i will tell you in

the past he's frequently visited with troops. so we're wondering if he is going to do that again this year. and also the white house chef came along for the trip who will be cooking the meal for the first family today at the house that they're renting about 45 minutes from where we are in waikiki. and in the meantime, president obama not quite festive prechristmas activities yesterday, playing golf, heading to the beach with the first family. maybe not as festive as the first lady, carol, getting in touch with those kids who are watching norad track santa. i'm not going to ask you about the fiscal cliff because i think we need a day off. it is christmas after all. i'll ask you a fun question. the first dog bo. is he traveling with the family? >> he is traveling with the family. it's not really christmas without bo. i think that is one thing we've learned. you go to the white house, you see the christmas trees. they have bo flakes on them. the cookies at the white house christmas parties are shaped like bo. he is a really big part of the

holiday festivities and that includes actually he plays a somewhat prominent role in a video the white house just released. this was taped earlier this month. it is the first lady visiting kids at children's national medical center in d.c. she went to read "it was the night before christmas" and she was pretty, you know, they were excited to see her but check it out. bo really stole the show. >> good afternoon, everyone. i'm the president and ceo of children's national. >> this is exactly what he does at home. he tries to beat malia and sasha to my lap. and blitzen, you see, bo? all right. >> maybe he can't see. >> you see? all right. i think he sees. >> bo even helping turn the pages for the kids. i really like that little boy on the left. he is adorable. you know what?

bo was a huge hit with him. he was like the first lady is here? i'm paying attention to the first dog. >> he was really concerned that bo couldn't see the pages of the pictures in the book. very thoughtful kid. >> very concerned. >> brianna, try to have some fun there, too. thank you. 2012 will go down as the year of scientific discoveries and advances in technology. we'll look at ten major achievements. >> reporter: at number ten a revolutionary camera called litro. >> such a powerful technology breakthrough that this will forever change how we all take inexperienced pictures. >> reporter: the camera captures the entire light field allowing the picture's focus and perspective to be changed after it's been taken. number nine, nasa's dawn spacecraft sent back staggering data about an asteroid 325 miles in diameter called vesta. it appears vesta went through some stages of planetary

evolution. it's one of a kind in the solar system. >> what's clear to us is that vesta appears to be the only intact proto planet that's left. >> reporter: number eight. you may have heard the term god particle. scientists call it higgsbosin. the european nuclear research organization claims to have found it. why is it a big deal? think big bang theory. >> this particle we think was in fact a particle like this was the fuse that set off the explosion which created the universe. >> reporter: researchers found it after analyzing data from proton collisions generated by a prt kl accelerator. at seven, a leap o faith. felix baumgartner's record-breaking jump. baumgartner broke the free fall record and the sound barrier, jumping from 128,000 feet in a revolutionary space suit. >> i said, i know the whole world is watching now and i wish the world could see what i see. >> six, young children dying at

an arm alarming rate in cambodi medical mystery. unusually aggressive. our dr. sanjay gupta was there when the mystery was solved. >> they found that those organisms in conjunction with these kids getting steroids probably led to such an aggressive course. >> number five, spacex became the first commercial company to rendevous and dock a spacecraft at the international space station. it marked a new beginning. private companies taking over for nasa sending cargo and eventually humans to the station. number four, scientists found the great barrier reef, the largest in the world, is in trouble. >> half of the coral on the great barrier reef has disappeared over the last 27 years. that is a momentous change. >> reporter: scientists attribute much of the loss to storm damage. at number three we go to the pacific and the deepest part of any ocean in the world with

famous film director and explorer james cameron. first, test stops. >> about five major failures that prevented me from going on. >> finally cameron went down 35,000 feet in deep sea challenger. number two, melting ice. scientists using satellite and aircraft data have found the greenland and antarctic ice sheets are losing three times as much ice as 20 years ago. giant rifts appeared in places like antarctic's pine island glacier. combined antarctica and greenland have contributed to 1/5 of all sea level rise over the past 20 years. and our number one is called seven minutes of terror. the rover "curiosity" survived a harrowing ride through the martian atmosphere in a landing method never before attempted prompting an outpouring of emotion from the nasa team. "curiosity" is now roving the

landing site huntingdghtinte lo signatures of past life. if it finds any "curiosity" might well be our number one again next year. john zarrella, cnn, miami. >> all right. a bit of news just in to cnn. it concerns the weather. a tornado warning has been expanded in texas. let's head to meteorologist bonnie schneider. >> we've been watching the tornado warnings into areas of houston county in texas. it's now been expanded. zoom in right here and you'll see that love lady is in this tornado warning and it encompasses areas of houston county, trinity county, and north central polk county in southeast texas and this warning goes until 9:45 central time. now this is a doppler radar indicated tornado meaning meteorologists tracking doppler radar have noticed indications of rotations within the clouds so a tornado can touch down at any time. if you are in this vicinity take cover now. keep in mind we run the risk for tornadoes throughout the day today especially until 1:00 and this heads into louisiana. so southeast texas moving

eastward into louisiana. carol, the threat area includes much of southern louisiana until 1:00 including baton rouge, thibodeau, and new orleans. we're monday toring this in the cnn weather center and will break in if we get any more warnings. >> thank you, bonnie. in the christmas spirit of giving we'll show you how some students brought a smile back to their favorite janitor after his battle with cancer. hi. i'm captain amanda felkuski from the air base in turkey. merry christmas and happy new year to you, my family in colorado, my dad al, my mom deborah, my sister liz and my dog jackson. i love you and i miss you. s has oats that can help lower cholesterol? and it tastes good? sure does! wow. it's the honey, it makes it taste so... well, would you look at the time... what's the rush? be happy. be healthy. yeah we both relieve coughs, sneezing, aches, fevers.

and i relieve nasal congestion. overachiever. [ female announcer ] tylenol® cold multi-symptom nighttime relieves nasal congestion. nyquil® cold and flu doesn't. your doctor will say get smart about your weight. i tried weight loss plans... but their shakes aren't always made for people with diabetes. that's why there's glucerna hunger smart shakes. they have carb steady, with carbs that digest slowly to help minimize blood sugar spikes. and they have six grams of sugars. with fifteen grams of protein to help manage hunger...

look who's getting smart about her weight. [ male announcer ] glucerna hunger smart. a smart way to help manage hunger and diabetes.

16 minutes past the hour. checking our top stories, webster, new york mourning two firefighters today after they were shot and killed while responding to a fire on christmas eve. mike shiparini had just been named firefighter of the year and was also a police lieutenant. the other victim joined the fire department about a year ago. two others were wounded. >> multiple firemen down. multiple firemen shot. i am shot. >> the fire is on the south side of the road. he's shooting from the north side with what i believe was an assault rifle or a hunting rifle. i am struck in the lower back and lower leg. so i need ems. >> the shooter william spengler who was convicted of killing his grandmother decades ago was found dead at the scene. nelson mandela is spending christmas day in the hospital. the 94-year-old former south

african president has been battling a lung infection. he also had gall stones removed. mandela looks better and doctors are happy with his progress. in money news instagram still feeling the sting from user outrage after the photo sharing app changed its terms of service. instagram has been hit with a class action lawsuit filed in san francisco federal court. lawsuit filed friday despite instagram saying it was modifying parts of its new policy and would not sell users' photos to advertisers. take a look at these pictures. it would not be christmas without a surfing santa in sydney, australia. it is not every day you see santa enjoying time on the beach with a little sand and a sleigh but after a long night of delivering presents he certainly deserves it. in the spirit of christmas we'll share this incredible story of generosity. a missouri elementary school rallied around their faithful janitor to give a smile back to the man they know and love as mr. mike. affiliate khsb has the story.

♪ dreaming of a white christmas ♪ >> reporter: you can see it on their faces. and these kids have one guy in mind. >> mr. mike! >> your dad, really? you say mr. mike it's almost a legend. >> who is mr. mike? >> that's me. >> for seven years mike niche has kept show creek elementary school in order as custodian. he doesn't mind the work and he loves the kids. >> i've seen one group go from kindergarten all the way through. >> mr. mike is one of the hardest custodians i've ever seen work. >> he is a friendly force, whether a helping hand at lunch or the smile that greets kids every day. >> i try to greet as many as i can. >> reporter: but the last three years have been tough on mr. mike. i try not to think about it. >> reporter: tons ill cancer didn't take his life but it did take his teeth. mike thought he might never get teeth at all facing a more than

$4,000 bill for a complete mouth makeover. mr. mike's smile started fading. a prayer group of school moms wouldn't have it. >> we wanted to bring that smile back and for him to be able to eat again. >> reporter: what started as a list of friends. >> 160 families give $25 we can do this. >> reporter: turned into a facebook movement. smiles for mike. >> the next morning i couldn't get out of my pajamas because people were coming to the door to give checks. >> reporter: the kids wanted to help too so they sold candy grams. many of them sent to mr. mike himself. or even notes written from tiny hands. >> little girl here said, we thank you for working your soul out for us. and that just, you know, that gets to you. >> mr. mike. [ applause ] >> reporter: and so does this. the kids raised hundreds of dollars selling candy grams. the dentist heard and cut his bill in half. add that to the donations that

poured in from as far as colorado. >> $6,750. >> wow. >> reporter: so four days ago, he got his new smile. >> i think it's really happy that he gets to smile again. >> it's your soul, i mean, your smile is the gateway to who you are. it's beautiful. >> i'm practicing my smile yeah. trying to get it back. >> reporter: what does it look like now? and that is something to smile back. that was our affiliate kshb. talk back question, what is your favorite christmas memory? there has to be one that sticks out rirkt out, right? it probably isn't as memorable as this. >> santa! oh, my gosh! >> thank you, santa! >> oh, my gosh! >> oh, geez. as you know that clip went viral on youtube, facebook.com/carol

cnn if you want to answer. what is your favorite christmas memory? we'll be right back. [ female announcer ] what if the next big thing, isn't a thing at all? it's lots of things. all waking up. ♪ becoming part of the global phenomenon we call the internet of everything. ♪ trees will talk to networks will talk to scientists about climate change. cars will talk to road sensors will talk to stoplights about traffic efficiency. the ambulance will talk to patient records will talk to doctors about saving lives. it's going to be amazing. and exciting. and maybe, most remarkably, not that far away. the next big thing? we're going to wake the world up. ♪

and watch, with eyes wide, as it gets to work. ♪ cisco. tomorrow starts here.

now is your chance to talk back on one of the stories of the day. the question for you this morning, what is your favorite christmas memory? it has been an emotionally exhausting year. i won't review. there were too many painful moments. still, on this christmas day, out of darkness there is hope. kindness, giving, compassion. jesus would say love. in newtown, connecticut exhausted police officers received a rare gift -- time

off. police from nearby communities are working in newtown today to give police the holiday with their families. from around the nation and the world tens of thousands of toys have poured into newtown. >> in this country we take care of each other and in this season of giving it's inspiring to see so many people all across america taking the time to help those most in need. >> that's part of what makes us such a compassionate nation. this year i know many of you are extending that kindness to the families who are still picking up the pieces from hurricane sandy and extending your prayers to the people of newtown, connecticut. >> my favorite memory as a child wasn't the cow girl outfit i got at age 4 though it was pretty darned awesome. my favorite memory culminated in this moment. that's me right in the front at age 6 with my mom, brothers, and sisters. yes, mother is exhausted which is understandable. we always went to midnight mass on christmas eve and then looked for santa flying overhead as we left.

we set out milk and cookies when we got home. on christmas day the cookies were gone but the milk still half full. those mornings were magic. not because i got barbie's less attractive sister skipper. it was how it felt on that day. i can't even put that feeling into words. so, please. share. what is your favorite christmas memory? facebook.com/carol cnn. facebook.com/carol cnn. or you can tweet me at carol cnn. i'll be right back. hi. i'm russell martin at kandahar air field in afghanistan. happy holidays to my dad, little brother and sister olivia in tucson, arizona. ?o [ male announcer ] it's simple physics...

a body at rest tends to stay at rest... while a body in motion tends to stay in motion. staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion. because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief for many with arthritis pain and inflammation. plus, in clinical studies, celebrex is proven to improve daily physical function so moving is easier. celebrex can be taken with or without food. and it's not a narcotic. you and your doctor should balance the benefits with the risks. all prescription nsaids, like celebrex, ibuprofen,

naproxen, and meloxicam have the same cardiovascular warning. they all may increase the chance of heart attack or stroke, which can lead to death. this chance increases if you have heart disease or risk factors such as high blood pressure or when nsaids are taken for long periods. nsaids, including celebrex, increase the chance of serious skin or allergic reactions or stomach and intestine problems, such as bleeding and ulcers, which can occur without warning and may cause death. patients also taking aspirin and the elderly are at increased risk for stomach bleeding and ulcers. do not take celebrex if you've had an asthma attack, hives, or other allergies to aspirin, nsaids or sulfonamides. get help right away if you have swelling of the face or throat, or trouble breathing. tell your doctor your medical history and find an arthritis treatment for you. visit celebrex.com and ask your doctor about celebrex. for a body in motion.

good morning. it is about 30 minutes past the hour. if you are heading toward the airport call ahead to make sure your flight has not been canceled or delayed. some nasty winter weather. tornado warnings could also delay travel plans. meteorologist bonnie schneider is here to tell us more. >> carol, we are tracking new tornado warnings and a brand new tornado watch. first let's get to the warnings where the immediate threat is in southeast texas. in trinity, polk, and south houston counties. this is really between houston and dallas. a little bit further to the east of i-45. and if that's not enough a brand new watch box has been extended further to the west. so now we're looking at a threat into houston, lake charles, louisiana, straight over to new orleans. this new tornado watch means that conditions are favorable for tornadoes to develop. and this goes until 4:00 local time. that's not enough, look at all the lightning across mississippi and texas. this is a dangerous day. i'm glad a lot of people will be indoors today because of the inclement weather. going into tonight and tomorrow, a brand new threat for ice. this is in west virginia. watch out for a coating,

measurable coating of ice on trees and power lines with strong winds. we're looking at power outages likely. this is just to the west of charlottesville in west virginia. the snow is kind of spread out over parts of oklahoma city. we had sleet and freezing rain and major pile-ups this morning along west of i-40 but looking forward over the next few hours into tonight we'll watch for snowfall as the colder air wraps in behind this system and then into the next day or so watching for the threat of blizzard conditions developing through the heartland. paducah, kentucky, cape girardeau, missouri. possibly up to a foot of snow. so unusual to see this kind of snowfall along christmas day. it only happens once a decade on average. when air talking about snow you have to shovel out it hasn't happened in little rock, arkansas since 1926. it is unusual to see a white christmas in this part of the country. i remember two years ago we had a big snowstorm in the northeast, 2010 christmas, not as unusual but down in this part

of country it is going to be dangerous as we go into tonight and tomorrow. >> all right. thank you, bonnie. top stories we're keeping an eye on in this morning. in newtown, connecticut the entire police force getting the day off. they've been working nonstop since this school shooting. officers from neighboring towns are stepping in to give them a break today volunteers donating overtime pay to newtown and sandy hook elementary school charities. hundreds of nato troops in afghanistan celebrated the holiday early this year singing festive songs and lighting candles last night during a church service and of course filling up with a special christmas dinner. president obama is spending christmas with his family in hawaii. he even played a round of gulf with his friends. it will be a short vacation though. the president expected back in washington later this week just days before the fiscal cliff deadline. bad business busted. this end of the year review does not celebrate accomplishments but points out blunders. here is alison kosic on some moves people wish they could take back.

>> apple's map application. maybe it's too much to ask but we'd like a navigation system that actually takes us to our destination. apple maps was so bad police at a town in australia said the app took people 40 miles from their intended target. apple apologized and google maps is back in the app store. number four facebook's botched ipo. the most anticipated ipo in years had so many problems. a long delay, technical glitches, investor confusion, and plenty of finger pointing. to top it off underwriters wildly over estimated the company's value pricing shares at $38 apiece. the stock is down almost 30% since. number three yahoo's ceo pads his resume. scott thompson claimed to have a bachelor's degree in accounting and computer science but his degree is only in accounting. guess who's not ceo anymore? number two, jp morgan's $6 billion trading loss.

ceo jamie dimon in may disclosed a unit in london lost millions on one complicated trade. he had to explain himself to congress and jp morgan still managed a $5 million profit that quarter. finally the dumbest move in business this year? you guessed it. the fiscal cliff. if we go over analysts say it will spark a recession. then again, congress is taking us right to the edge and maybe beyond. check out the full list of dumbest moments in business on cnn money.com. here's to a smarter 2013. back to you. thank you, alison. if you have finished opening presen presents, you might be getting the family ready to head out to the movies today. what is on the movie menu? we'll have a rundown next. speaking of movies which is your favorite christmas movie of all time? a new poll ranks some of the most popular. here is a look at the top five. a christmas carol ranks number five. white christmas is number four.

number three, miracle on 34th street. number two, it's a wonderful life. then number one, it's next. [ cellphone chirping ] [ buzzing ] bye dad. drive safe. k. love you. [ chirping, buzzing continues ] [ horn honks ] [ buzzing continues ] [ male announcer ] the sprint drive first app. blocks and replies to texts while you drive. we can live without the &. visit sprint.com/drive. yeah we both relieve coughs, sneezing, aches, fevers. and i relieve nasal congestion.

overachiever. [ female announcer ] tylenol® cold multi-symptom nighttime relieves nasal congestion. nyquil® cold and flu doesn't.

before the break we told you about a new poll that ranks some of the most popular christmas movies. here is a look at the top five. a christmas carol comes in at

number five. white christmas number four. number three miracle on 34th street. and number two it's a wonderful life. then number one is oh, you guessed it. a christmas story of course. >> oh, boy. oh, boy. >> what? >> would you look at that? would you look at that? >> what is it? >> well, it -- it's a leg. >> what is it? >> well, a leg. you know, like a statue. >> a statue. >> yes. a statue. >> yeah. a statue. >> ralphie. >> no, it's a lamp. for favorite animated holiday movies rudolph the red nosed reindeer and charlie brown christmas tied for first place. here are a couple holiday movies only because they're opening today. first, "jangle unchained." >> i heard you been telling

everybody man dango's ain't no damn good and nothing anybody is selling is any good. i'm curious. what makes you such a mandango expert? >> i'm curious what makes you so curious. >> get my gun! >> also opening today is "les miserables" starring ann hathaway ♪ deliver me from this hell i'm living ♪ >> so if you even want to be more depressed this holiday season go check out those movies. anyway, we want to review those movies and tell you if they're worth seeing or not. our senior editor from rotten tomatoes.com gray drake is with me now. good morning and merry christmas. >> merry christmas. >> i'm glad you have your santa hat on. we love that. >> thank you.

anything i can do. ho, ho, ho. >> well, like i said, these two movies aren't exactly uplifting holiday fare. is it unusual they're being released at christmas time? >> you know, the reason these movies are released at christmas time is because they're great. and this is the time of year where we need things to blow off steam so we go to the movies. and even though you're right. they're not the most uplifting things in the world they're fantastic. there is so much good stuff to see in the theater that anybody, whether they want to go with their family or without their family you'll see something amazing in the theater. >> okay. that makes me feel a little better. quinton tarantino, he produced django and has been criticized for his portrayal of slavery. spike lee is even boycotting the movie. some people are upset about it. you saw the movie. does spike leave a point? >> well, i think you haven't made an interesting movie if spike lee isn't boycotting it

first of all. slavery is a touchy subject, no getting around that. quinton tarantino's last couple films have been a bit of revisionist history. his last movie was about killing hitler in a movie theater. we're not going there for realism. django is such a high quality picture that i'd say the hype is totally in line with the quality of the film. like you are going to go and enjoy it and it's all about perspective, carol. >> well, it is all about perspective. >> i just think that django is a movie about a guy that really loves his job. now it just so happens he is a bounty hunter and it just so happens he is killing some slave owners but that is beside the point because he is doing it for love. this is kind of a love story where he's on his way to get his wife back and i don't know. i found it to be completely ridiculous and really entertaining all at once. so spike lee, thumbs down to you. you're only hurting yourself by not seeing this movie. >> let me ask this question. it is incredibly violent. some of the violence is gleeful,

right? so after newtown when you saw that movie, did you watch that violence portrayed in that movie in a different way? >> absolutely. it's devastating to have to sit through movies and there are a couple this year that have gun violence in them. that is no fun for anyone. everybody is still really hurting over the horrible things that have happened. i mean, everywhere, all over the country, all over the world. and so that is not a great part of the movie for sure. there is some stuff in jack reacher as well that even delayed that movie's premiere. i would say that the only upside of this is that these movies are about justice. these movies are not about letting people get away with awful things. they're about bringing down the bad guy and that is the only thing that helped me sleep at night. >> let's talk about "les miserab miserables" and i read one reviewer and he said this was like three hours of agony to sit through. >> that reviewer is smoking drugs and i want some. because he is wrong.

now, "les miserables" is an adaptation of the very popular stage musical and it is getting a lot of heat because tom hooper the director decided to do something different with this musical. normally on a musical set when they're filming a movie the track is already recorded so the actors are just lip syncing but on this set they're actually sinking as they were really filming the movie. and they use ud to do that a long time ago in movies and of course broadway performers do that eight times a week. but what it does for this version of "les miserables" is makes it so full of passion and it is so much fun to watch that there were several times during the movie that when a scene would end i was convinced we had just seen that actor win the oscar. hugh jackman, anne hathaway, eddie redmain. every performance in this movie to me was spectacular. >> i'm kind of in the minority a little bit but i say those people are totally wrong.

"les miserables" is perfect. >> even russell crowe singing? >> okay. >> you didn't mention russell crowe. >> no i didn't on purpose because i think he is the weak link in the chain and personally i think that guy should stick to throwing films at people because the russell crowe is not the best singer in this movie but he has a very stern gaze and that is what that character requires. so i'm going to allow russell crowe to be in this film because everyone else is so good. >> thank you so much for joining us on this christmas day. >> merry christmas. we'll be right back. ♪ i don't wanna be right [ record scratch ] what?! it's not bad for you. it just tastes that way. [ female announcer ] honey nut cheerios cereal -- heart-healthy, whole grain oats. you can't go wrong loving it.

in that time there've been some good days. and some difficult ones. but, through it all, we've persevered, supporting some of the biggest ideas in modern history. so why should our anniversary matter to you? because for 200 years, we've been helping ideas move from ambition to achievement. and the next great idea could be yours. ♪ when the doctor told me that i could smoke for the first week... i'm like...yeah, ok... little did i know that one week later i wasn't smoking. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of depression

or other mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems, tell your doctor if you have new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack. use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. it helps to have people around you... they say, you're much bigger than this. and you are. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you.

nasty weather especially in texas. a tornado warning has gone out or expanded. bonnie schneider is here to make it clear. >> we have new tornado warnings in parts of texas. it's interesting to note that we now have a tornado that was confirmed by a trained weather spotter just near crockett in texas. the new tornado warning you see here, zooming into the region, this is for a brand new county, northwestern angelina county and southeastern cherokee county in northeast texas. the tornado warnings that were just to the south of it have just expired but remember, we do have reports of a tornado that was on the ground in this vicinity and according to the national weather service it is possible a tornado may already be on the ground. remember these are rain wrapped tornadoes so they're difficult

to detect and difficult to see. this is a widespread area of severe weather that we're monitori monitoring for tornadoes including some major metropolitan areas possibly today with the tornado watch expanded to the west including houston, texas, lake charles, louisiana and all the way to lafayette and into new orleans. these tornado watches extend into the afternoon and you can see the frequent lightning strikes just stretching across much of the south. it's a dangerous day today. tornadoes especially along i-10. make sure you have your noaa weather radio turned on and programmed to your county or parish in louisiana to alert you if severe weather occurs. stay inside if you can. it is christmas so enjoy your gifts and just maybe stay indoors for today. carol? >> and there is nothing wrong with spending christmas in the basement. >> as long as you're unwrapping presents. >> exactly. thank you. we'll take a quick break and be back with much more in the newsroom. oice. take tylenol or take aleve, the #1 recommended pain reliever by orthopedic doctors.

just two aleve can keep pain away all day. back to the news. your doctor will say get smart about your weight. i tried weight loss plans... but their shakes aren't always made for people with diabetes. that's why there's glucerna hunger smart shakes. they have carb steady, with carbs that digest slowly to help minimize blood sugar spikes. and they have six grams of sugars. with fifteen grams of protein to help manage hunger... look who's getting smart about her weight. [ male announcer ] glucerna hunger smart. a smart way to help manage hunger and diabetes.

whether you're a fan of the indianapolis colts you've probably been rooting for their coach chuck pagano who returned to work three months after being diagnosed with leukemia and seven weeks after doctors announced it was in remission. his news conference brought both laughter and tears and a tribute of sorts to the interim head coach bruce arians who helped lead the colts to the playoffs. >> getting to pull up, drive in,

get out of my car, the key fob still worked. i was beginning to question whether it would or not. when i asked bruce to take over i said you got to kick some you know what and you got to do great. but, damn, bruce, you had to go win nine games? tough act to follow. tough act to follow. there's no way you could ever get through something like this alone. and again to my wife and my family and everybody in here, i thank you, you know, from the bottom of my heart. like i said earlier, if you're going to have to go through something, i know exactly why i'm here now. this is the place you'd want to be starting with our owner on down. the finest people i've ever been

around in my entire life and i thank you all from the bottom of my heart. thank you. >> all goes well this week. pagano will be on the sidelines for sunday's regular season finale against houston. pagano's comeback is one of the top sports stories of 2012. what about the top sports stories or news stories of the year? here is a look back. >> thank you so much. >> now a massive crowd has gathered here. >> we want freedom. we want to be free people. >> the italian cruise ship capsized. >> nearly 23% unemployment. >> joseph kony. >> joseph kony. >> viral on social media sites. >> outreach through social media. >> my name is sandra -- >> the affordable care act. >> legitimate. >> this is a massive play by

facebook. >> the largest ipo in tech history. >> breast feeding in the picture. >> one article has the entire country talking. >> the president says he now believes same sex marriage should be legal. >> we now know the name of the suspect blamed for the movie theater shooting spree. >> shooting at the sikh temple in wisconsin. >> police now tell cnn people have been shot in front of the empire state building. >> bath salts. >> bath salts. >> jerry sandusky sentenced to a minimum of 30 years in prison. >> an iconic statue honoring the late penn state football coach joe paterno is gone. >> the british people are going gaga for the diamond jubilee. >> flying squirrel, fierce five. >> someone sold photographs of britain's prince harry naked during a strip billiards game. >> one of the hottest novels around. >> what went wrong? why now? >> isaac is forcing some changes at the republican convention.

>> shut up. >> thank you. >> christopher stevens and three other embassy staff are dead. >> we will bring those to justice who committed these murders. >> all the effects of hurricane sandy already. >> sandy's carved a path of destruction along the eastern seaboard. >> we can't fully secure the crane until the wind dies down. >> oh, my gosh, another story on this? gangnam style. >> tan mom. >> honey boo-boo. >> live picture in los angeles from "endeavour" the shuttle rolling down streets of l.a. let's look at the man at the center of the scandal general david patraeus. >> fresh rocket attacks from gaza. >> the despair in syria has gone on for 20 months. >> the red line mornings talk. >> cnn projects barack obama will be re-elected president of the united states.

>> terror at an elementary school in connecticut. >> 20 children dead. six adults are also dead. >> so our hearts are broken today for the parents and grandparents, sisters and brothers of these little children. may god bless the memory of the victims. and in the words of scripture, heal the broken hearted and bind up their wounds. ♪ i feel so alone.

but you're not alone. i knew you'd come. like i could stay away. you know i can't do this without you. you'll never have to. you're always there for me. shh! i'll get you a rental car. i could also use an umbrella. fall in love with progressive's claims service. is the same frequent heartburn treatment as prilosec otc. now with a fancy coating that gives you a burst of wildberry flavor. now why make a flavored heartburn pill? because this is america. and we don't just make things you want, we make things you didn't even know you wanted. like a spoon fork. spray cheese. and jeans made out of sweatpants. so grab yourself some new prilosec otc wildberry. [ male announcer ] one pill each morning. 24 hours. zero heartburn. satisfaction guaranteed or your money back. welcome to chevy's year-end event. so, the 5.3-liter v8 silverado can tow up to 9,600 pounds? 315 horsepower.

what's that in reindeer-power? [ laughs ] [ pencil scratches ] [ male announcer ] chevy's giving more. get the best offer of the year -- 0% apr financing for 60 months plus $1,000 holiday bonus cash. plus trade up for an additional $1,000 trade-in allowance. hurry. bonus cash ends january 2nd.

>> this is a symbol of riches and wealth and strength in germany and fertility. and the new year you give it to those you love to wish them luck and sometimes to be especially lucky they'll have what fred has in his hand. >> this is a chimney sweeper also a big tradition in germany and a symbol of good luck if you touch the button on the chimney sweeper's coat. happy new year from germany. lots of tiny tots in chicago got a real treat this christmas from singing superstar jennifer hudson and her charity. the julian d. king gift foundation. that was named after hudson's 7-year-old nephew who was murdered in 2008. lines stretched around the block as little kids eagerly awaited a toy for christmas. the drive started by hudson and her sister four years ago. >> it brought tears to my eyes. that was my christmas wish. i was like, jesus, just please,

let there be people out there. that was the first thing i saw when i came up and tears just started forming so, you know, i got my christmas wish. >> jennifer hudson's foundation has collected thousands of toys to give to needy families in chicago. your responses to our talk back question of the day. what is your favorite christmas memory? this is from paul. a week before christmas our home in detroit was broken into and all the christmas gifts were stolen. woke up on christmas morning and there was a new tv, new ornaments, and tons of christmas gifts under the tree. the local mormon church had donated. melinda actually sent me a tweet saying her favorite christmas moments were cooking for her mother because she loved her so much. i wrote her back and said, oh, melinda, you are on to something. miss my grandma's cooking on christmas. italian. so delicious, warm, and cozy. from william, when i was 18 and living the life of a struggling actor in new york city i decided to hitch ke